Dairy and beef feed-lots have been automated by employing mechanical means for distributing cattle feed or livestock feed along the length of an elongated feed trough or bunk feeder. Such mechanical means have included a conveyor belt positioned above the bunk feeder with a feed hopper positioned above one end of the conveyor belt. The feed is dropped onto the conveyor belt as the conveyor belt passes beneath the hopper. The conveyor belt moves the feed along the length of the bunk feeder, and a plow is provided and moves back and forth along the length of the conveyor belt and plows the feed off of the conveyor belt into the bunk feeder below.
An example of one such automatic livestock feeding system is produced by Lancaster Silo Company, Lancaster, Penna.
One of the problems associated with such feeders including an elongated conveyor belt is that the contact of the plow with the conveyor belt, for use in pushing the feed off of the conveyor belt, tends to apply a lateral force on the conveyor belt tending to cause the belt to move laterally with respect to the frame supporting the conveyor belt. The belt can then become misaligned with respect to the supporting frame thereby causing undue wear of the belt or causing the belt to move off of the frame.